"Sky, i can't thank you enough for inviting me", melaine said from her end of the call, "I have my costume ready and everything, oh god i'm so excited!", she was practically screaming over her compact, "My mom says it's ok as long as you guys have me super well protected, but don't worry, my mask is sure to keep anyone from knowing it's me anyways!".

"Well just keep in mind, your role is to keep track of everyone, so just don't get too distracted. We're there to party but also to make a trap, so we can't exactly spent the whole time not in focus. I want your help because we need as many people as we can and i trust you, but...just make sure to focus. It would just mean a lot to me if you take this just a bit more seriously".

The girl eyed sky before nodding, "Ok, i get it".

"Thanks mel, i really appreciate it, the less stress the better", she said, finishing up the final touches on her last outfit, "When the event happens we all need to focus and stay in communication alright?'. Mel was easy to get distracted so it was more important then ever that they kept in contact with her before she could wander off and lose them, but also why they gave her a job multiple people were doing so they'd be ok just in case.

"Yeah of course, i'm just excited to go to a party and get to participate in your cool mission stuff, you've been going over my notes right? I've been working on some new theories for a few weeks now with all the new info you've been telling me, some of these ones might be of help, your map of mewni makes it easier to pinpoint some locations of their movements".

The map was also something she just liked to have in general but sky could guess that enough by seeing it practically framed in the wall nearby.

"Yeah your notes are super interesting but i'm just not sure if this is really true, i don't have any more secret relatives mel...at least i hope i don't. I like your ideas i just...i'm not sure, i feel like what's happening is just...something i'm missing, this is why i felt like a weak link for so long. I could barely do magic, and i'm not really that smart. Like i dunno mel, we'll just wait till we catch them...for real this time".

"Think you'll have them frozen like eclipsa was?".

"Well, i dunno if we'd go that far...maybe, i mean technically they haven't done anything TOO awful for that but granted they did try to kill angel so...i guess it'll be up to the commission on that one", though it did really feel like that whole deal wasn't exactly the best kinda punishment if they could just be unfrozen later down the line anyway. The commission could always be shady enough to let them out if they wanted to.

"You guys really like to punish prisoners harshly don't you?".

"Hey i mean, when you got powerful prisoners, you kinda have to do crazy things to keep them in check.", sky looked over her project before showing it to her pen pal, "Thoughts? I needed to make something i could actually fight in".

"How'd you even get all these outfits done anyway?".

"Oh i had help, i'm not crazy after all, but i had a hand in each other, designed them all too. It's kinda cool having people like my stuff so much". She usually just made stuff for herself, not so much for others outside of judas, so she had to admit, it was a good feeling. She didn't have to even do all of them but in a weird way she felt she should, it was like giving them something nice from her.

A gift.

Maybe something they could bring home to their friends and families.

Well maybe sky was making it sound better then it actually would be but sending them off with something would be nice at least, that way there was also proof they had gone to another world, that sky existed. When the girls' did get home, who knows what their families and friends might think happened to them, who knows if they might even really believe them either about the truth.

If sky came out of a portal claiming this happened to her she had no idea who would buy it and who would think she didn't get enough sleep that night, regardless ifit was real or not it was still pretty wild. Her moms didn't even know it was a thing you could actually do so why would anyone else? Sky seemed to be the first to have anything of the sort happen to her.

At least with a gift, there's more merit to their stories.

"Without magic too? That's amazing sky!", mel always thought anything sky did was amazing but this still felt nice coming from her, especially since it was all sky, This had nothing to do with her species or her powers or her kingdom, mel was super happy about sky doing something she liked, and it felt really nice to hear coming from her specifically.

Made her feel mel really did care about her for her and not because she was some cool alien princess mel got to meet.

"Well thank you for understanding and getting better with my kingdom and everything, i know you can't really be here much but i hope I'm making things easier for you going forward", as a response mel held out the book on mewni sky had sent her a little while ago, a favor she called in from her mom. Something to keep mel from saying anything she probably shouldn't next time she came to mewni to say hello to everyone.

Which would be rather soon, so better to do it now then later.

"This book is so cool, i have no idea your families had such crazy history like this, could i ever interview them? I really wanna ask them so many things".

"Considering they're all dead that's gonna be a nope".

"But you have magic, you could totally bring them back for me to interview them", then she paused looking at sky's face, "S-sorry, i'll stop if that really bothers you. Uh...school is ok over here, though it's kinda weird having bernie followed by your bodyguard people. The crystal man kept scaring the others and threating to crystalize them, it's been kinda...nuts".

"Knowing you you grabbed of bit of the crystal right?", like that human was going to miss an opportunity to grab something she could display in her room and talk to everyone about for months. Mel even asked if she could have some of sky's goopy leftovers from mewberty to save in a jar when that whole ordeal had happened, grossing out everyone who ever knew her.

Mel smiling to herself and pointing to her shelf where the expected crystal was up and chilling, "You know me too well, and i appreciate it sky i really do...i'm starting a collection right about now. I really missed having you around as much, Bernie is great but he's not my best friend either...more like...second best friend. You and me like to have all kinds of fun and well, i really miss you...and i'm sorry i never say that often and i get carried away".

'You and your mom have been talking, i can tell", melaine smiled in response to that, "Yeah, yeah we have, i talk to her a lot more now and she really makes me feel better when i can't talk to you.", she laid back in her bed, thought she was still melanie she was rarely like this. She really had been doing some changing over the last few months, something that impressed sky.

Judas kinda always seemed to think melaine was too stuck in her fantasy to really live in reality, and sometimes it was really hard to get through to her at all, so this was meaningful to sky. She seemed happy too, all she usually did was go on about her theories and fandoms but opening up was a nice change of pace, felt more genuine in the best of ways.

"Sometimes i think i rely on you too much, that i need more friends...not just you...i guess all i had was you for so long it's become an obsession. Like it was you and only you i was paying attention to and it probably made you feel like a exhibit. I just get so excited about your world, the human world is boring compared to where you came from. You get to fight creatures and go on adventures and i get stuck in my room."

"Mel i can promise you it's not as exciting as you think it is", sky reassured, "You are safer where you are, where you can't be killed or hurt or kidnapped or anything. Your normal life honestly sounds kinda nice, you get to just be a kid and socialize without the kinda pressure i have. You can totally come here if you want to, but these adventures aren't what you think they are".

"Well, i think adventures sound...really fun, like people will remember you no matter what for all the cool things you do. You got to go out there and really live, do things people here only dream of doing. Here, only bernard really talks to me, other kids just thought i was kinda weird, so i should go live with the other weirdos like me. Like you guys are used to it".

"Mel you have a mom, someone who loves you and takes care of you, it's something i kinda wish i felt i had from the beginning.", mel's ears seemed to perk, "Sorry, this is about you, i shouldn't be talking over your problems like this, let's just finish up and end this call before we get any bad ideas.". Though now that she spilt that to her friends she would never hear the end of it and she knew it.

"You gotta be somewhere? That sucks, i want to be able to talk with you longer, we barely get enough time anymore!"

"I always have somewhere to be these days mel, it's like being pulled all over the place, but when i get a breather after this is over...we can take some time to watch a movie together and have fun. You should go and enjoy yourself in the meantime, you and your mom have a lot of fun, i'm just tired and until things ease up i can't hang out as much as i'd like".

"You're a kid too sky...".

"Yeah, but i'm not a normal kid either, and i kinda can't just stop either, these are things i have to do...but you make things a lot easier for me. Trust me, i'd be worse off if you weren't here to help me out". That did seem to make melaine smile a little, "Well without you i wouldn't have many friends at all, so i could say the same, it's really cool having you as my friends cause i've never had someone want to talk to me so much".

"Hey, my only friend before you was judas so it's not like i was doing too much better, and i'm supposed to be a princess everyone admires. If even i can't get a whole bunch of friends then you know something must be wrong with me". She had to laugh, "But eh, mewni is full of stuck up pricks anyway, i have trusted people like you to have my back and that's the real deal".

"You really do like having me as a friend?", to some extent she really sounded surprised, but also extremely touched to even hear sky even consider her such a close friend after recent stuff.

"Yeah of course i do, i mean if you ever like...wanna do something on mewni, just...ask. I mean let your mom know and make sure and tell me what it is so i can plan for it and whatever but since you wanna go here more often. Well we can do that, when we can of course and everything". Melaine seemed more happy then ever, this was something she could never turn down, even if it required her to convince her mom.

"Sky i would love to, i will make sure we have such a great time and i will study up on mewni so i can do my best around it's people and everything, oh i can't wait for the party, i better get going cause my mom is calling me and stuff but i'm so excited and i hope to call you super soon, oh and uh...bernard is your friend, even if he's not your best friend...maybe spend a little more time with him...you guys could use someone to talk to more often when the rest of us are too busy on mewni ok? Oh and uh...if you ever really do wanna interview the dead or whatever, maybe i can have that arranged at some point...just not anytime soon, sounds good?". She sent sky a wave and a nod as she signed off and sky was left all by herself once again in her room.

She got up, she needed to head out soon, heading down the hall into she ran into the person she needed to find. Sunny was waiting for her, with galexia by her side, "You ready to go?". Sky had to nod, she really wanted to see what the ballroom looked like, the underworld was busy getting it finished and the sooner they started the better, everyone else was sure to be there by now.

Sunny teleporting them there almost made it more excited, the flames dimming to reveal the ballroom lined with decor, streamers and tapestries and all kinda of traditional demon decor. The underworld had a very specific kind of elegancy most of the other kingdoms could never replicate, with it's dark and bold colors and it's ability to put anyone in it's place from looks alone.

Judas was going to tone it down a little, no blood, no gore, just a nice ball that everyone could attend. But that never made it any less beautiful, there was still much to be done and the rest of the castle was also to be decorated but this was a fantastic first sight. And sure enough, judas was already being prepped for what he was going to have to do to be crowned.

He sent sky a wave as the demon that was helping him turned his attention back to the task at hand, trying to stand straight as he read off the cards in front of him and tried to semi figure out everything he was going to do and in the order he was going to be doing them.

Sky knew this wasn't the only reason they had been called though, and she could already see marco working out the placement of their traps and what not, getting a head start without trying to draw attention to themselves since who knew if any of the demons here were trustworthy. Tom was giving orders and even his parents were already here at work, which was sure to make judas very uncomfortable currently.

But at least everything seemed to be going to plan at the current moment, things were getting done and it seemed everyone was on the same page, the family had been doing this kinda thing for so long they knew how this would typically work. Tom didn't care that much for his own coronation but there was no way he wasn't going to make sure his son got the best one he could ever provide for him.

Sunny was squeeing alright, sky wondering if sunny would get a butterfly style coronation or a lucitor style one when she was old enough. But she was so familiar with all of these decorations and methods she looked about to burst, pointing out every familiar thing to her to sky and explaining how much it meant to their culture and so on and so forth.

Galexia may of not had the same giddyness but she sure was scribbling a lot during this so much so sky had to help shove her drawings into her pocket so they weren't all over the nice flooring. The demons working were sending them all side eyes for the mess she was making and the girls sent them apologetic smiles as they moved along and helped out.

"This party is going to be amazing sky, i hope we get to enjoy it at least a little", she led lexi along and eyed more of the fancy decor, "I'd love to do some dancing and singing and just having fun in a setting like this...going to parties back home could be a bit of a struggle. I used to have to stay super close to my parents just in case we did get attacked so going off to party was never really an option".

Wow, that really did suck, how much did this really extend to sunny? Did she ever go out and do anything fun without her parents or bodyguards? That sounded so miserable, and she was so excited to go to a party and have a good time without even having to worry about any of that for once in her life. Even if it was technically a plan and she wouldn't even get to have as much as she would like.

Sky was used to having some extent of freedom but she clearly wasn't, and she was going to have to go back to that. It was something that was hard for sky to really think about, and it was not fun to think about either. Sunny wanted to go home, but without the abilities she had here. Sky shook off the sadness as she tried to keep herself distracted.

Judas was busy, so they couldn't really talk, judas needed to remember all his lines and what he was going to do and how he was going to do them. Otherwise the whole thing would be ruined almost immediately. Honestly he seemed super nervous from where she was standing, especially since his family was nearby and all keeping an eye on him, the boy trying to not make a fool of himself.

They were changing things up this year for the coronation in comparison to tom's, but that only made him more nervous. Demons were going to make a fuss and complain and he just knew it, if he got booed on stage he might completely lose it up there and forget all of his lines. Sure, no normal people ever booed the next in line but who knew with this one, he honestly would prefer to just go back to his curse stuff.

At least his curse stuff could kinda be fun at times, nora was nice and jackie was nice and everyone was super supportive...minus the stuff with his grandad. There was nothing fun about having to be crowned in a room full of judgmental people while waiting to face a dangerous person who had clearly tried to take over his mind in his sleep for weeks.

How he was supposed to handle this without freaking out was beyond him, his dad wasn't going through this much when he did it. He didn't have to help with a plan, or deal with a ton of hate, or have his grandpa be kinda made with him. Nor was he at risk to be possessed or something. This was by far too stressful for any normal person, much less a kid. Judas was wondering how he was going to remember any of these lines and the screeching from the demons around him were not helping in the slightest. He wished they had done this when no one was in the room.

The demon helping was glaring at him just for getting distracted at every little thing and it was driving him insane. This was supposed to the same demon who had helped his own dad and right now they were doing the very opposite of helping him in the slightest. He felt himself swallow his pit as he read off another one of his lnes, and then cough right in the middle of it before handing over the script to go and get a drink.

He needed an excuse, just for a small moment.

The demon almost tried to stop him but he felt moving on before his own mother stopped him, marco looking over judas like he had something on his face. " You're worrying me even more then usually, you need to take 5?".

He nodded, "Yes please"

Marco send a look to his grandfather on the way, clearly still not on the greatest of terms despite everything. But they tried to ignore it, marco was not stupid however and clearly they had noticed as they moved along. Actually, judas had the sinking feeling they wanted to talk in private for something very different. Especially since they were still pretty close by when they stopped.

Marco handed them a snack from inside their jacket and handed it over, "I get it, this whole thing is pretty stressful, i wish it wasn't, when we got married we also had a lot of the same pressure. We have to do things a certain way and we had so many eyes on us, not to mention if we made too much of a fool out of us they would never let us forget any of it".

"It's not just that...", he started, but marco already knew where this was going. Putting a hand on his shoulder and sighing, "Jackie talked to me about your grandad and what he said, we're going to be pulling him aside to talk to him. I know he wasn't trying to be hurtful, but clearly it bothers you...and well...your coronation is meant to be a day of celebration with your family...not so divided".

"I never meant to start anything...i'm sorry about that", but his mother wanted to hear none of it, "You didn't start anything, he was always obsessed with trying to keep everyone safe from the beginning. I think it's become harder to accept he might not have to anymore...he used to well...protect tom a lot when he was a kid. He's used to being this way with us".

"But does he normally have to protect us...from ourselves? From each other?", he knew the answer but marco gave him a sympathetic smile, "He'd never do anything to hurt you, he's just frustrated for you and all of us. We'll support you no matter how you choose to handle this whole deal, but it'll take longer for some then others. But eventually i think they'll be on the same page".

Judas eyed his wrist, he was still wearing that shocker his grandfather had given him, he had yet to remove it and he had been debating if he should. On one hand, did he really need it anymore? Did he even want it on his person anymore? On the other hand, was it better to have it then not have it all just in case? Wearing it felt so strange and it was a constant reminder of the worst aspects of his curse.

"But...what if i'm wasting my time? What if he turns out to be right?".

"Then we'll be here to catch you when you fall, it's about as simple as that", the pep talk seemed to help a little a marco handed him another snack, "If it helps i can stand right next to you and make you more comfortable with your lines, tom made my lines easier for me at the time because he held by hand and everything, so maybe you could use some of that too".

He nodded, agreeing with the idea for now, even if it did not make a difference moving forward. This rest break was actually a very good idea and he wished he had taken one so much sooner then when he actually did. At this rate he might start falling asleep during his speeches a and if he fell asleep doing those he would be demonized forever by the watchers.

"Yeah, but i can't do that for the real thing so maybe-".

"C'mon, let's head back out there and get this worked out, we can sort out all this drama during another day when things are eased up and you both are cool enough for it.", he wanted tp protests but he knew they were right, this was just going to have to be saved for another time when they were on good enough terms to properly handle it entirely.

"I'm sorry about all of this drama".

"Not your fault, it's just how it is right now, focus on one thing at a time right now, are you still hungry? You need anything else to eat or drink?". Judas shook their head and marco asked something else, "Do you want to go talk to your friends for a sec? I know this isn't a ton of fun for you". Judas tensed up a little, "Is it really that obvious that i'm not having the best time ever reading notes and making a fool of myself up there?"

He was trying to play it off as a joke, but marco was being serious, judas was not exactly hiding his clear discomfort very well..

"You haven't been right a long time, not getting enough rest, not getting enough of a break...at this point you should take rest breaks when you need them. It'll help make things so much easier for you when you do tasks. We just care about you and maybe taking breaks isn't enough, but seeing you like this is bothering me and tom a lot, you worry us jude".

"I never meant to worry any of you, you all have your own things going on and i keep taking away focus from your lives. I just can't seem to keep myself in order and well, i'm not sure why, i've just been stressed...more stressed". The boy felt his back being comforted and more guilt welt up in his chest, "Yeah, you have every right to be, go take a break, i'll talk to the guy...come back in a half an hour and you can keep going...if it helps, we can change anything about your crowning you need".

"I've already had a lot changed as is, won't the other demons be upset if i changed it TOO much? Wait...i guess i did say i need to stop caring about their opinions, but like, what if-", he was overthinking, he was doing it all over again. "Right right, need to stop thinking about that, take deep breaths, if angel can get himself under control i know i should be able to"

Marco smiled, they really had a precious son, and they wouldn't trade him for anyone else.

They thought back for a bit, sometimes it was hard to really think about but without them there would be no curse, none of this would even be happening if it was not for them. Judas was like this because of them, and maybe there was nothing they could do about it, but the curse was apart of judas, and they had to accept it and accept it might always be this way.

Judas's strength was impressive, as well as how he never blamed them for it.

"You know, when i was cursed, i really thought it was kinda cool for a moment. I mean i was also brainwashed, but having an arm with that kinda ability could be useful in combat and to do things i couldn't with my scrawny human arms at the time, I wish i managed to do the kinda thing you're trying to do now, you're trying to make it into a blessing and i can admire that".

"It's only because it's a thing i'm likely to do, you never had a chance when it was still talking, if it was still alive...i'm not sure it would be the same thing." He gripped his hand tight, "It's hard to go from everyone being afriad of me to not being afraid in me and trusting me to know how to control it, i didn't even know i was controlling it, it just kinda...happened".

"Well if it's emotion based and reacts based on instincts then i can see why it'd be harder to control, sometimes you don't get time to think before it could react. Like it might know what you want more then you do. It appears when you get very upset too, perhaps it's out of a sign of frustration or anger or maybe you want to reach out to someone. Magic isn't simple and straightforward sadly".

"Yeah but this is a part of my own body, shouldn't i know my own body? I can move my limbs fine but not tis limb of mine that shows up at times when i don't even always want it there! How is that supposed to work, how can i not control my own limb?", marco did not have an answer for him. All they could do was give him the best advice they could.

"You're the first jude, it's new to us as well, we'll figure it out with time...no need to rush through it ok? Now, c'mon, let's take it easy, go see sky for a little bit and come back in half an hour ok?". The demon nodded, "Yeah, that sounds good, i'll be right back soon...thanks for getting me out of there...i thought i was going to go mad doing that for so long".

His mother kissed the side of his head, ruffling his hair, the affection did make judas feel a lot better as he felt his eyes even get a little red. If he didn't have his parents helping him with all of this he didn't know where he'd be right now.

"You're a strong kid judas, you're going to be just fine, no need to rush through this process. Keep me updated if you need anything, oh and don't go anywhere we can't see you. If you get kidnapped before your own birthday we're all going to be upset and trust me, i will not let another child of ours be taken away like that. I'll destroy them myself if i have to...and you know i mean that in every single way".

"I'm not trying to rush but...maybe part of me is trying to without like...knowing...", he voice got soft, before nodding, "Right, i'll stop trying to rush through it, maybe that'll make training with jackie a lot more easy on her, i don't wanna upset her and she's putting in a decent amount of time trying to help me fight with it". They seemed to understand, "Jackie is a loyal friend, she's great at training kids, i think she'll figure out what works for you in time, but you come first, i'll see you in a little while so in the meantime take some time for yourself".

They headed away with another kiss to his temple as judas approached his friends who had been waiting for him.

Judas could feel the sense of relief when sky hugged him, reading and posing for so long had left him mentally tired and frustrated. Sky was going to tease him about it forever of course but she understood the pressure he was under and she was a source of comfort, well, when she was trying to keep her sisters from getting into anything around the ballroom.

"Place looks pretty great, better then most balls i go to here, granted...this one is being mostly ran by you since you had more of a say on the theme and everything so yeah". She smirked, "Got to talk to mel, i think we really had a nice moment together, when she's not her goofy nerdy self she can...be really cool. But anyways glad you got some time off, you've been at it for hours".

"You say that as if you were the one doing it, it's more painful if you gotta repeat the same lines and do the same actions over and over again, i promise you. Anyways i sure hope when you go through this it's not as painfully boring, i'm usually the responsible one but even i know this feels like a complete drag and i'd like to be somewhere else to be honest."

"Eh, you always got bored with most of the royal stuff, you're only now just more eager to admit it. But hey, i'm glad you're in a better mood, hows the trap set up going anyway?", judas biting his lips, nervous. "I mean, it's going, i'm not sure if it's going super well exactly but it is going, i just hope things aren't miscalculated or anything because if not we're screwed".

"Well you got back up plans".

"Yes, but all of these plans can only work so far, the idea is to put them in one of your bubbles, but we could miss, if we miss, we try to put them to sleep, and if that doesn't work we try to chain them and this is already unsafe as is. The worst part is when won't know when we spot them and when they will strike, so if we can't be sure when, it's way harder to do something like this".

"Hey worst comes to worst, we all fight against them, they can't beat all of us".

"But we could also get very hurt and i don't want any of you to get hurt, not my family, not my friends, none of us should have to put ourselves at risk. You guys have already been through so much, it would be nice if we could easily get through this and let you all finally put this to rest but it's hard to bury it when you could still get really hurt out there, you know?".

She had to admit, that was always on her mind as well.

"We're better prepared this time at least, this is one guy, so if things go right this should be no problem", she shrugged, "After all, we know the telltale sign of when someone has their mind taken over so we should be able to tell if someone doesn't seem right from a mile away, even with the masks. At worst we are allowed to look under them, the masks is for them to just feel secure".

"Well the sad part is it can make me feel less secure, because what if they get away and we never notice them? Who knows what they could get away with. Lucky for us we all agreed to have masks that show our eyes to keep anyone from worrying if we were possessed or not". Actually that as a good point as she smiled at him, "We can just look under the mask if we feel we have to".

"I'm sorry for being such a downer, this is just...my party. Can you imagine what they'll say if things go horrible wrong on my party of all days? They'll never let me live it down for the rest of my life. This is all nerve wracking enough but when me as a the main event people will blame me if the worst occurs. I'm just very nervous about all of this and you know why that is, it's because i have every right to be".

"Ok yeah, you're right, i know we can't really fool you on stuff like that. But we're safe, we're good, there's no way anyone is gonna slip past our radar. C'mon, we don't wanna spend the whole time panicking right? Your time is limited". Judas quickly tried to pull himself together, not wanting to panic in front of her, "Sorry, but you know exactly what i'm talking about here, this is all worth being nervous about".

"Well jude, can't say i blame you at all, we've kind had a lot of break ins and people getting attacked for any of our tastes at this point. I think we just are going to have to have some faith at this point, because if we spend the entire time worrying about the worst happening, we aren't gonna be able to focus on the tasks at hand and we might end up making things so much worse".

She was right.

"Maybe i need something to help me relax a little...", he mumbled, a sky pulled out a snack for him, "Just eat and take it easy, we're not done setting everything up anyways. but when we are we can only hope. But hey, consider yourself lucky, at least you can still do magic, right now i'm the useless one in the group until further notice. Even your brother is more useful then me right now".

Oh right, sometimes he forgot she didn't have her wand right now, she really was just as powerful as a regular mewman as a result, and in way more danger as well.

"I got more reason to be nervous as a result, at the very least you got a charm and you're powerful as a magic user, like anyone is gonna take you down that easily. Right now i'm still learning how to dip down and my results are kinda mixed not gonna lie. I think i'm getting somewhere but really it doesn't look like it because nothing is really happening".

"Maybe you should ask for the wand back, just for this party at the very least, we know it's gotta be about fixed at this point, so you might as well give it a shot. They can't get mad at you wanting to keep yourself safe now can they?". That was true but even if her mom pulled some strings would they really risk having the wand out there? Granted, what's one more wand out there if all the other girls got to keep theirs?

"You got a point, it should be fixed by now, i should be able to get it back", there might be a little backlash since it got broken in her hands to begin with but it wasn't entirely her fault so perhaps there would be little protest for it. "Besides, if they want a wand, all of our wands are gonna be there ripe for the taking, i swear if they don't even show up i'm gonna-".

"Would you show up if this was you?", suddenly came a voice.

Without question sky answered, "Look, if i was that desperate i'd take the risk, getting a wand and breaking out is better chances then surviving out there with no wand, no home, and everyone is after you and-". She then realized it wasn't judas who asked as she turned around to see eclipsa passing through, clearly having been here to check up on landon.

"I didn't know you were coming over here today...thought you were finishing up going through that stuff", eclipsa nodded, "Oh i can promise you i am, i just had a few reasons to be here today, one being landon, another being with tom so i can get everything i need to know for the event, but the third well...that's way harder to explain and i'm not sure what to do with".

"Well, if you got something to say to us you better spit it out since judas has to get back up and do more of his dumb king stuff.", she put her hands on her hips and seemed worried if what eclipsa was trying to say would mean something bad was about to happen. Eclipsa bit her lips, looking for the right words, "Sky um...i have some suspicions about well...who it might be...i'm not sure if it's true but it's been on my mind and well...it's hard to fully be sure about since it's only my suspicion and everything but-".

Eclipsa had some idea about who it was? Now that was kinda unexpected, eclipsa was rarely that involved in accusing anyone in this situation. For good reason though, false imprisonment hit a nerve with her, so if she had some idea on someone in particular they had to have some actual merit for them to go on right? But Eclipsa seemed to not sure if she should say so like...was she sure or not?

"Well if you're going to say it you should probably tell us before we die standing here".

Eclipsa stopped her stuttering, looking between sky and judas before sighing, "Well, maybe i should gather more information just to be safe, wouldn't want to put someone in a bad spot um...sorry for that". Sky looked very confused though, maybe even a little insulted eclipsa would come all this way to tell them something that important then back out last minute as if what she just said wasn't important at all.

"Eclipsa, what's the big deal?".

"I'm sorry sky, maybe it's best i save my suspicions for later, if i'm not careful i could get someone in serious trouble and well...i shouldn't worry you kids anymore then you already are." She was trying to walk off her mistake and sky did not appreciate it, "Eclipsa, they're pointing the finger a little too much at me for my taste right now so if you know whose actually doing it i'd kinda appreciate it so i can avoid going to prison for the rest of my life".

And yet, eclipsa froze and shook her head, "Later, i promise, i don't wanna risk putting anyone innocent in prison. I don't have enough solid evidence and you have enough to worry about, i'll tell you if i have enough evidence". And she fled before sky could chew her out more, landon watching her awkwardly before turning to his brother and sky and approaching slowly.

"Well that looked odd from where I was standing, you uh...ok?".

"I know i kinda chewed you out for wanting to use violence against a criminal who hurt your crush , but i'd be lying if there weren't times i really wanted to punch eclipsa for driving me crazy", sky felt herself tug at her own hair, judas patting her back. "She loves you, i'm sure she had a good reason to back out and not tell who straight up who she was thinking".

"Well she better figure it out fast before i end up on the chopping block as luna's accomplice. If luna had more solid evidence against her she'd probably be on trail right now, she should be considered lucky her dna isn't being found everywhere like mine". She huffed, landon walking over to his brother, and speaking tp him quietly as not to bother the grumpy teenage girl.

"She says i should call bernard, check up on him. Less wierd and insane then you were probably expecting, she just kinda well...likes to talk about my relationship with him since i told her it was a thing so now she likes sending me advice on dating, but now she does it frequently and it's more embarrassing".

Judas, thankful to be off topic from himself, eyed his brother curiously, "Uh how come?". His brother blushing profusely, "She says i should ask him to come to your stupid coronation with him, if even just as friends...but...ugh that might be so embarrassing. I'm giving him space to figure out his feelings and if i asked him out while he's doing that i'd just be a bad idea and make it worse...i mean i want to invite him but for him it would come off the wrong way and-".

"It doesn't have to be a date, you're best friends right? Just ask if he wants to attend, he likes the underworld after all. Mason is already inviting fae so there should be no trouble". Landon continued to stand stiff though, not answering, as if he was terrified to even consider the idea of asking him. Guess it was expecting a lot to think he wouldn't still have some anxieties about this whole thing.

His first real friend and crush and the thought of losing him at the blink of an eye was a very real thing that could happen that he clearly didn't want. "Hey, it's only a suggestion if you don't want to do it, no pressure. At the end of the day your comfort still matters a lot. Eclipsa...isn't exactly always the peak of good advice after all, if that's not obvious enough".

"Even with some form of magic now, i'm still not very confident...am i?".

"If magic made you more confident i would still be up there practicing instead of down here talking you all of you", the boy said, sighing, "Point is don't be so hard on yourself ok? This is up to you and what you want to do, you know him better ten we do after all. Just make sure to be super careful about how you ask if you invite him, especially if you are worried".

"Eclipsa is a cool teacher but she's so nosy about everyone's dating lives, it's just kinda annoying", he mumbled, "She asks about it all the time when we practice and i worry that maybe i'm not doing enough or something". He was getting red faced again and he grumbled, "Sorry, i'm being annoying about it again". Only for judas to correct him, "No you're not".

"You can say that because you never went for your crush on sky, it's not the same thing. You gave up on it, you didn't have to worry about doing this or that like i am, you were like...6...i'm 15 and i can barely talk to my only friend now without worrying the worst is gonna happen at any second. You don't know how embarrassing this all is for me".

"Landon, i was a kid when i had a crush on her, of course it's not the same thing and i know that. Look, i'm just saying it's different for everyone ok? Don't beat on yourself too hard, you're doing the best with what you have. Bernard is a person, not a goal, you don't gotta do anything crazy to win him over and you know that, you're just worried about what he'd going to say when he figures things out...you're making yourself more paranoid."

He was right, and he hated to admit it.

"I've never had to go through this before, every time i talk to him i worry i'm gonna say something wrong and i just...it's really freaking me out, and it's not helping that everyone has an idea of what i should be doing when i don't even know what i'm doing". He wanted to ball up and hide somewhere, blushing profusely, "I'm happy it's out i just...things are so weird jude".

"You're right, i'm not exactly the best person to be getting relationship advice from, but still and i mean it, don't let eclipsa tell you how to handle it...you'll figure out what works best i'm sure". The comforting pat he gave his brother was enough to cool landon down in the moment and he nodded, "Right, need to be more confident in myself, sometimes it just slips...i'll see what i can do...and figure things out before i see him next". He took a couple deep breaths, "I wanna show him the magic i've been learning anyway so...maybe i can figure it out by then".

He sill seemed a little tense and judas could only assume why at this point, "Don't let his parents freak you out, or the commission, just focus on him. You're his best friend and you've done everything for him you possibly could. Besides, this issue is between you two, not them, they don't get to tell you two how to feel about each other. Plus the kidnapping was not your fault and if they blame you for that screw them".

This made landon smile a little more, judas would probably stomp all the way down there himself and tell them to their faces they were being unfair to landon if he felt he had to. It was a big brother thing, but sometimes he did need to hear this kinda stuff, blaming and getting mad at himself these days was just as common as him blaming others for things out of their control.

No wonder everyone came to judas for pop talks.

"You're good at pep talks jude, even if you're not always well yourself", landon eyes up all the décor around them, and sighed, "I really was so bitter about the attention you got as a kid...but...i also had a weird view of you too...like that you were always perfect and everything and your curse was an excuse to coddle you so much. It was a dumb thing for me to think and tell you but i couldn't help it at the time cause i was a jealous little kid...but i can tell this arm thing really has messed you up and if i didn't say it enough before...i wanna apologize for like...being a massive jerk about it".

"Hey...i get it, mom and dad did pay a lot of attention to me so...i can understand why you were so upset. I wish i had noticed how much it had been bothering you sooner, you're really talented landon, i know i'm supposed to be like...in charge next but you're also really cool and well...the kingdom really missed out on you by looking at me and mason so much instead.".

"Heh...i guess it really did do well performing and stuff recently, and mom actually got to see it and watch me do well...the stake outs? I mean i still think they didn't get us much but doing it really boosted my confidence i think. I kinda wanna...if you're ok with that of course, perform in your coronation? Like something nice i could do...for you, just for fun and everything".

"Wait, you wanna perform for me at my coronation? Like, in front of all those people? That's way more then there was a the last place you performed". He was halfway touched but also halfway concerned his brother would get stage fright and bounce, how ready was he exactly when his performances were so limited? He didn't wanna see landon embarrass himself over it.

"I know, but this whole thing means a lot to you so i was thinking...maybe i could do it and...everyone would also see how talented i can be too. Or maybe i'm thinking way too hard about this whole thing...i just thought about doing it and i have to tell others or it won't happen considering the tight schedule". Despite how nervous he was, his brother on the other hand, seemed more then happy landon would do that for him.

"Well, if you're sure about it, i'm not going to complain about the idea too much, just don't push yourself too hard...this deal is gonna be much bigger then any stage you've been on before". Then he felt sky tap his shoulder again, "Hey, you better get back up there before they drag you up there king lucitor diaz, me and landon can share in out panicking and frustration on our own together".

She was kinda joking, but it was probably partially completely serious.

However, she wasn't wrong, the demon could spot his parents asking him to head back over, and he waved to sky before heading on his way. Landon awkwardly waving to sky who was keeping an eye on her sisters who were busy helping decorate in the corner, "You seen celeste? I haven't seen her all day and she's usually with you...she isn't hurt right?".

Celeste hadn't been hanging out with landon as much as usual so it ,kinda had been hard to tell, she wasn't exactly a very social person and she mostly had been keeping to herself, so the concern was kinda something she felt every time she didn't see her with landon.

"She's coming soon, she just needed to take care of something real quick, but even she had to come and check out the place, to know where she needs to go and everything and stuff. Plus, honestly i think she gets kinda lonely, as much as she likes to say that's not true. She's kinda...attached to us, well she already liked me but when we're just talking...she kinda admits to liking you guys a lot...cause you guys just kinda stick by her".

Sky snorted, "Hey, don't worry, i think we figured that out by how she went against luna to protect jude...she's never really gotten so defensive of anyone else like that before. Gotta admit, she's really cool when you get past the kinda rudeness, i mean, she could still work on her attitude and everything bit i'm gonna kinda miss having it around and everything".

Celeste wasn't exactly the nicest person around but she seemed to care more then she ever let on, and having her gone would still feel like some kind of loss, sky couldn't imagine not seeing her following landon around anymore.

The boy bit his lips, observing her expression and sharing in her sadness, "You're gonna miss all of them, aren't you? I mean, i know you never had siblings really, and well...siblings for me are like...complicated...but the point is...i think you're gonna miss having sisters...a lot". Sky nodded silently, watching sunny and galexia, "I always kinda wanted siblings sometimes, because i just had you guys for so long, it's gonna be weird without them...going back to almost how things used to be".

"Celeste...you know like...having a sister? It was kinda weird at first but after a while it just felt nice, she was kinda my first real friends i made on my own since bernard and i were just trying to form a friendship, and...it's gonna be weird to not have to get her advice on things or have her wand to practice on...some times i think about what it's gonna be like without her and just how lonely i might be again".

"You still think you're going to be lonely?".

"Judas might be in charge, mason has fae to focus on, you got your own stuff to sort out and there's no one else that really hangs out with me besides bernard, and i'm not sure what our relationship is gonna be at this point.", he really must have been thinking about this quite a bit. How lonely he was going to be with the girls leaving, especially celeste.

"Well, I guess all the more reason to start getting yourself out there and meeting new people with your interests, making new friends and letting them known you exist and are just as cool as your bros. But hey, for the record, i doubt me and your brothers are going to leave you hanging, like i'm sad about losing the girls...but i know you guys will still have my back...you guys have always kinda in a way...been like my siblings".

He seemed amused, "That almost makes it even funnier judas had a crush on you at some point".

"Ahh, enough mocking him for that, we all have those embarrassing moments...if anything i'm kinda flattered he really sorta thought it was that cool at one point, but it's nothing to freak out about". She huffed, thinking about eclipsa and what had happened a few minutes ago, "Hey, has she told you anything about the investigation? I'm really curious since she likes to gossip about this kinda stuff sometimes?".

"To me? Not exactly, mostly because i kinda don't pay that much attention to any of that, though she does on occasion talk about some of the things she found super weird with all the junk she was going through, like how many dang jars they seemed to own. Like how many ingredients does one need and how does one acquire all of this kinda junk anyway?".

"Well they did have help, but that's actually a good question, was all of that there before they showed up or did they get it afterwards?".

"Well eclipsa at one point said one of the ingredients was definitely black market material, so i can only assume they were doing some shady stuff and buying them from darker places...not that i heard much else." That was something to ponder on, "I guess they probably don't have money for this stuff, they move around so much unless they were already rich there's no way they're holding down a job to pay for anything they actually seem to own".

"Well, all their hideouts are nothing fancy either, you'd think if they had a home they'd operate from their home.", landon and sky exchanged looks," Look, i hate to say it, but maybe it really is meteora...would explain eclipsa acting so strange, would explain why they move around so much, how they know so much, even would give us a motive...the kingdoms wronged her".

"You're sounding like my friend damien", sunny popped her head into their conversation, galexia being dragged behind her, "But i can see what you mean, i don't want it to be her though, she seems so...cool...well sometimes. It's just...for her to do all of this, she has to be...really awful, meteora back home...she's just so sweet and nice and everything".

"But she's not your meteora, she's our meteora", landon said, sighing, "So...i know we keep going back and forth, but it would make a little more sense if you consider them to be homeless and moving around so much". It left sunny in silence but it was hard for her to even argue against, as much as she clearly wanted to, the group eyeing judas as he continued his practice before landon's compact started to ring.

He grabbed it, quick and nervous, before eyeing sky.

"It's uh...bernard".

"Oh? Better take it then", and so landon did, leaving just as celeste wandered into the room finally, noticing her sisters and heading over. She looked soaked from head to toe, though the warm air down here was making her feel a ton better. But that wasn't just it, she also seemed extremely moody. Celeste was always moody but this time, she was more moody then her usual moodiness.

"Celeste?".

Celeste strode over to them, noticing landon wasn't there with them and trying to dry herself quickly. She didn't even tell them where she had been, not saying a word, only for sunny to pop in and tap her, "Hey, you need a towel or something? What exactly happened? When landon said you had to take care of something he never mentioned you were going out swimming or something". But celeste didn't say anything, she just stood there soaked and annoyed and like she had something to say but didn't wanna say it at all.

But that was not going to stop sky.

She stood right in front of her and gave her a look, "Hey, i know things aren't always perfect these days, but right now i would really appreciate it if you just talked to us, we're been living together for a long time and if we're going to help you need to start just telling us what's on your mind. So could you please?" Celeste looked more embarrassed before sighing.

"I went to see lucy, got wet practicing some magic".

"You went to the dog to practice magic?", sunny made a small fire and held it up to celeste, who looked down at her soaked body. "She just had a big open spot and well...she likes me so i thought she could help so i decided to go over there with some of the evidence and...i just got myself went trying to stop her". Before sky could question fully what she meant she felt the castle move a little and so did everyone else.

Lucy got out.

And the king was quick to figure that out, tom immediately sensing what was happening before teleporting away to go find the beloved dog. Celeste looked super embarrassed at herself for letting the dog get away before holding out the evidence she had been carrying around. "Look, i was going to bring it back, i just wanted to test something real quick".

"How'd you get ahold of one of these masks? These were with eclipsa's evidence pile...there's no way you should have one unless-".

Celeste sighed, "Eclipsa, i just asked after one of landon's lessons if i could borrow one of the evidence bits, because there was so much evidence so maybe i could get a scent off one of them for lucy and it didn't go well when i tried". She hugged herself, more then upset, "Look, landon's been so busy with eclipsa and i was just looking for a reason to spend more time with him again so i also thought i could help eclipsa...and she said i could as long as i gave it back and...".

"Are you...jealous of bernard?". said the bluenette suspiciously. Celeste grumbled to herself, not really wanting to outright admit something like that, "I've been so useless...in tis investigation, all of you have been helpful and landon is one of them...het gets to be helping and with his crush and i've just...i don't really like being alone. I've never really felt like this before, because i was ok being alone before and now i-".

"Hey it's ok, we'll catch lucy and-".

"No it's not ok, when we go home i go back to...having almost no one, to my miserable family, having not done anything to help or even anyone who feels like they're really going to miss me, i'm scared of what's going to happen when i do get back home. Will my parents think i really did run away? Will they be mad at me? Will...will things be worse if i go back?".

Was she really debating about even going back homr? To her family and her own timeline and universe? Right in front of sky? Sky couldn't believe what she was hearing right now, this had never really been something they had even debated before. None of the girls had ever really expressed a strong desire to really not go back, even if it was an option, and now celeste was debating it?

"Celeste, you know you have to go back...you can't stay here".

"But...i'll miss all of you, i don't have any of this back home i barely have even a family back home". How celeste was just full on crying, "I'm sorry, i'm so sorry...i just...got so emotional today". Sunny went in for the hug with no hesitation, trying to relax the girl, "It's ok, we're going to miss being here too, we're going to miss you so much too when we have to go".

"Celeste, you didn't have to push yourself to help so much, you could've been hurt or damaged something important", and the girl sighed, pushing back more tears, "You guys have just been handling things without me and i just wanted to feel included. Now that landon is busy with bernard and you all are busy with this...it leaves me...on the outs...a lot".

She could still hear lucy bounding down the halls, and sky nodded her head, "Hey, how about this why don't we go catch lucy and talk about this after the fact, you should kinda tell king lucitor how she got out instead of hiding here". Celeste wanted to back out, but then nodded, as much as she wanted to disagree she could not, "I'm sorry, i just wanted to be included in everything going on".

Sky signaled to the other girls to stay back as she headed out with celeste, "If lucy likes you so much she'll probably smell you and come right to you, now just be careful and don't break anything, like we need to fix this castle again". Celeste nodded in silence as they headed down the hall, was celeste suggesting she didn't even want to go back all that much and wanted to stay here with them?

It sure sounded like it.

But it really wasn't an option, keeping her here meant keeping two wands here, which was not only extra dangerous, but just asking for people to figure out what was going on. Not to mention her parents on the other side had to be worried sick about her, celeste didn't like to talk about her emotions but they had been so distracted they had barely check on her.

They had just gotten used to not talking to her they kinda forgot, celeste had been openly separated from their group for such a long time after all. It was of her own free will of course but them forgetting about her was kinda a result of that, even though she was more their friend then anything. Celeste had been doing her own thing most of the time, only talking to people when she needed to and not much else.

"Hey, you don't have to feel to bad about this ok? We should have been talking to you".

"Well it's just, i've been distancing myself for years from people and now...i'm worried i'm losing everyone...that you guys are still mad with me for the stuff i did before and all of that...and i'm not doing much and you know? I was just trying to be useful". She kicked the floor under her, "I'm sorry...you guys were just trying to get things done and-".

She growled and sky tried to calm her down, "I didn't realize how much this had been festering inside of you...". The girl grumbled, "Even luna has been more useful to this group these days then me...you always get along with each other so well and...and...eclipsa just thought it would give me something to do...one object would be fine since she already had plenty more...i didn't think...".

"We never meant to make you feel excluded...we're sorry about that, we'd been so busy with ourselves we didn't know any of this was even going on with you.", just earlier she had been talking about how fond she was getting of celeste too and now she was practically faced with reality, that she barely had spent any time with her and how she was barely social with anyone still.

She was fond of her, but celeste didn't know that, she had no reason to know that.

"Hey, me and judas, really appreciate how much you've come around to us, we really do. You had no business helping us and defending us recently, you're really strong, and i'm sorry that going back home is...how it is". The girl mumbled, "I never really talked to you guys either, about much of this, so...it's not all your fault, i thought i could impress you all and win you back or something...i just...never like to talk about these things...".

"Yeah, we all never really like to talk about things either, this kinda stuff is...hard to deal with, but talking about it does feel nice...and well...you don't only have to talk to landon". She looked up at sky, biting her lip, "Yeah, i know...i'm bad with people, i have always been bad with people...my parents would tell me that a lot of the time and try to get me to open up and be more social...but i just kinda ignored them...i ignored them a lot".

"Yeah, i guess if i was like that to my moms i would be worried about going home to see them again too", before sky went in further celeste pulled her in for a hug, " I really screwed up, here...and back home...how can i even go home after that...i can't deal with that...at least here i have people who understand me and i feel like want to be around me to an extent...".

"You sure you don't have...anyone back home who understands you?".

Sky had some doubts no one cared about celeste, she was unsocial but she could make friends and there had to be at least one person who flocked to her right?

Celeste was silent, playing with her hair and trying to avoid crying, "I...uh...". That was enough to tell sky there was more to this then she was letting on, but as they heard more steps and felt more rumbles, they might have to deal with more of this later, even as emotional as celeste was right now. "C'mon, let's go help get lucy real quick, and we can go over this whole deal".

"You shouldn't have to fix my issues...".

"Well I'm not fixing it, but like, you should talk about it".

Celeste looked her in the eyes as she dragged her off, towards the blundering sounds and movements of a rather large, and out of control, hound. Her guilt still welting up as she kept a hand on her wand, ready for use. She was still feeling so many mixed feelings, guilt, worry, sadness, anger, but there was no time to really process any of that when she had just royaly screwed up trying to make herself feel better.

She gripped onto sky a little tighter as they ran down the halls, avoiding the bustle of demons who were still trying to decorate.

She needed to focus, if she didn't clean up this mess soon, well-

Then there was no way she was going to feel better off.